


Heaven Knows, We Belong Way Down Below

by fromxthexvalley



Series: Red String Series [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cannon Death, F/F, Femslash, Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-23 21:19:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2556080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromxthexvalley/pseuds/fromxthexvalley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Red String of Fate, Soul Mates, Destiny. A stupid myth for stupid romantics. Commander Jane Shepard had no time for stupid romantics. She was the survivor of the Mindoir raids, she was the Butcher of Torfan, and now was the Second in Command on the SSV Normandy. She had no time for Destiny, nor for the Quarian known as Tali, nor the flash of red she keeps on seeing out of the corner of her eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have a beta, so all errors are my own. Please feel free to point them out to me. I will update when I can, however, I do work a full time job, so keep that in mind. Jane Shepard has a colonist background, with a ruthless military service. She is a vanguard. She has dirty-blonde hair and green eyes.

It's a little windy out, enough to feel the chill in the air, but Jane pays no mind to it as she lifts her hands up, feeling the breeze lift her shirt and her hair. The sun was setting just below the ridge, ending the day. It had been a good one. She had celebrated her sixteenth birthday with her friends and family, the party lasting nearly all day. However, the urge for the open skies finally won. She stood upon her favourite hill now, letting the breeze calm her racing heart. This was her home. The wide fields and mountains her playground - her breath, her escape. Her left pinkie finger twitched, but she ignored it. It had been doing that a lot, since she was nearly seven. She had told her parents about the strange feeling, and her mother just laughed while her father just told her she was restless.

The wind picked up, nearly picking her off her feet. She frowned and looked towards the sky, praying a storm wasn't coming in. But it wasn't a storm that caught her eye. A ship was coming through the atmosphere. It wasn't very big, and while it was late in the evening, Jane assumed it was just another supplies or trade ship; it wasn't odd to have a ship or two come in late. However, as the sun shifted once more, its light caught the metal surface, and she could put a name to the ship. Batarians. 

She swore, running down the hills towards home just as the sirens started. Her lungs burned but she ran, only turning around once to spot another two ships coming down from orbit. This wasn't just a small raid; this was a full-blown battle. The whole town was a panic mess when she reached it, civilians rushing about and screaming, while their small military tried to get ready while trying to keep everyone calm. She found her parents in her home, emergency pack in one hand, and a gun in the other.

"Take these, and get Nina to the bunker," her father said, handing over the packs. 

"But dad, I can stay and fight!" She was the best marksman in her class, thanks to her dad teaching her. And while her biotics were a little wobbly, she could still give the enemy a good push. 

"No. Your job is to keep your sister safe. She cannot defend herself. Stay out from the open as much as possible, you hear me?" Her father ordered. His voice was stern, but she could see his face was ashen.

"Yes, sir."

He gave a sigh. Her mother gave them a tight-lipped smile, before hugging them both tightly. "Be safe, we will join you when we can." She went to the table and grabbed a pistol, coming back to give it to Jane. "Just in case."

Jane nodded, gripping her sister’s hand tight in hers, before stepping outside. The town was nearly deserted now, with the civilians running towards the bunker for safety. She could hear a fire fight in the distance, but it was coming closer with each second. Nina whimpered in fright, her hand nearly breaking Jane's. Jane herself took a deep breath, before taking off towards the bunkers, making sure to stay in the shadows.

The bunker was nearly five miles from the town, hidden thick in the forests that surrounded it. Biometric scanners, coded to recognise any of the colonist, but go in lockdown mode when an enemy tried to get in, secured the only way in. They made it to the forest easily enough, spotting no Batarians - and no colonist either. The forest was eerily silent, the only noise was the leaves rustling in the wind and the fire fights from the town. Something was not right; she could feel it in her bones.

"Stay close," she whispered, tightening her grip on both the pistol and her sister’s hand. There was no direct path to the bunker, but every colonist knew exactly where it was at, having memorised the location at a young age. She tried to mask her breathing and footsteps as much as possible, but her eight-year-old sister wasn't one of stealth. She grit her teeth, keeping her eyes and ears open for Batarians. They just needed to make it to the bunker.

After a few feet she stopped, head tilting. She could hear voice, indistinguishable, but there. There was a shuffle, then movement coming towards them. They only had a fifty-fifty chance of the voices being human. She motioned to Nina to get down, putting the emergency bags beside her. She dug through one of them fast, finding a hunting knife on top. She grabbed it before giving Nina the pistol.

"Shoot anything that moves, even if it's me. Got it?" Nina's eyes widened, but she nodded. Giving her sister one last looked, she moved off. She swung slightly left, making sure, if anything, to get behind the voices. However, as she moved, the voices got louder. 

"The bunker secure?"

"Yes. Nearly a hundred humans. Had to kill a few, but it couldn't be helped."

Batarians. She mentally swore, her teeth grinding with rage. The bunker was compromised, and the only place they could really hide was the cave systems in the mountains, but that was another five hours of walking. 

"Well, look what we have here." She gasped and spun, knife swinging to hit, but it was easily knocked out of her hand. "Now, none of that, human." The Batarian, an ugly thing, grasped her hair and forced her to her knees.

"Let me go!"

The Batarian laughed. "I do not think so. You are quite pretty, for a human."

"Let me go you ugly pig!"

The Batarian growled, using his free hand to slap her across the face. Pain blossomed and spots danced in her eyes. Her scalp screamed in agony, as the force of the slap would have sent her to the ground if he hadn't been holding her hair.

"I think you'll be fun breaking in." He pulled her up, and she took her chance. She slammed her fist into the closest eye, and was rewarded when he yelped and let go of her hair. She didn't even look at him, pushing off into a run back to her sister. She heard the Batarian's behind her yelling and shooting at her, and she rolled to dodge a hit coming from the back and the front. 

Her sister.

Gun held in a shaky hand, eyes wide, Jane quickly grabbed her and the packs, hauling them as fast as they could run away from the Batarians. The thick forest made shooting tricky. Nina stumbled, but Jane quickly hauled her up. They knew this forest, Jane especially, and they easily outran the Batarians. They ran until Nina stumbled again, and didn't get up. 

"Nina?" Jane bent down, moving her sister into sitting, but she groaned - in pain, Jane realised. Panic seized through her. Even in the dark, patting her sister down, she came upon the sticky mass of blood on her sister's side, and the hiss of pain confirmed it. "Shit, Nina..."

"Don't curse...mama'll be mad." Nina croaked out, chest heaving. 

Jane choked out a laugh, tears in her eyes. She rummaged through the packs, finding a med-kit. She couldn't risk light, and they were still too far from the caves. "Shut up. You never tell her anyways, you never do."

"Jane, I'm cold."

"I know baby, give me a minute." She found the medi-gel easily enough, and applied it to her sister’s side. The wound was big, too big. She swore as she wrapped a bandage around it as best as she could. They needed to get someplace safer, fast. "Hold on, chica, this is going to hurt." Slinging both packs on her back, she gently lifted her sister up. Nina groaned and buried her head into Jane's neck, biting her shoulder in a scream. Wincing, Jane took off. 

They didn't make it far, maybe a mile, when Nina groaned and went slack in her arms. Jane rushed to put her down, rushing to grab the med-kit again, but she knew it was too late. There was no pulse, no breath. Nina was gone. 

They find her three days later, outside the cave system covered in dirt and cuts, holding her lifeless sisters body. They gently take her sister and cover her with a blanket, telling her it was all right, they had her now. But it wasn't all right. It would never be. She had failed. She had gotten her sister killed. She had failed.

She would laugh, eight years later - six inches taller, hair shorter, eyes harder - when she puts a pistol between a Batarian's eyes and blows it's brains out. She becomes the Butcher of Torfan that day, but it doesn't matter. Every single Batarian on that planet was dead by her hand. That's all that mattered. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I have no beta. So any flaws, tell me. This is not 100% dialogue by dialogue, but for the first few bits they will be close.

Shepard stumbled out of the sleeper pod, turning to growl at it - though it was pointless. _Stupid inanimate objects._ Giving a huff, she ran a hand through her short hair before making her way to the mess. No one was in there, of course, as only the skeleton crew was up and at work. Her pinkie twitched, and she absentmindedly rubbed it as she looked for breakfast.

The pre-packaged meal bars for biotics were nasty, but she swallowed two of them down with coffee before grabbing her gear. The Normandy had a guest: a Turian by the name of Nihlus Kryik, a Spectre for the Council - supposedly here to check out their stealth system. Shepard had scoffed at that. He was here for something else, but no one was saying. She didn't like the man, not for being a Turian, but for hiding something; something that could be important.

Joker was in the pilot seat, fingers flying over the controls. She was not shocked she was up, although she hoped he had gone to bed at some point. What surprised her was that Alenko was sitting in the co-pilots seat. She internally scowled; the man had a serious crush on her, and it was beginning to affect his duty. He was a good soldier, and a good biotic - despite the L2 - but he needed to get his head out of the clouds.

"I hope you slept," she spoke her thoughts to Joker.

He jumped, obviously oblivious to her approach, but he did not stutter his response. "Yes ma'am. Six hours."

She nodded - more than she had gotten. "Good."

"Commander Shepard, good to see you up also."

Shepard turned, finding Kryik walking up towards the cockpit, already in combat gear. "Spectre."

Nihlus nodded in return, turning to look at Joker. "Status?"

"Board is green, approach run has begun."

The mission to Eden Prime must have been cleared then. An odd mission, a scientific one, but she was eager to get off the ship after months of just twiddling her thumbs.

"Hitting the relay in 3...2...1."

The Normandy shuddered slightly as the Mass Relay grabbed hold, but the ship easily maneuverer and shot off in a blue bullet.

"Thrusters: Check. Navigation: Check. Internal emission sink engaged. All systems online. Drift: just under 1500K."

"1500 is good. Your Captain will be pleased." And as simple as that, Nihlus walked off.

Kaiden and Joker looked at each other. "I hate that guy," Joker huffed.

"Nihlus gave you a complement, so you hate him?"

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. That's incredible. I don't know, man, he creeps me out. There is no reason why a Spectre should be here."

"Be quiet, the both of you. You are disrespecting a superior officer," Shepard snapped, although without as much malic as she normally would – she agreed with her pilot.

Joker winced, and Kaiden quickly looked away. "Sorry, Commander," the later apologized.

The cockpit's comms bleeped to life, and Anderson's voice came through. _"Joker, status report."_

"All green, sir."

_"Good, find a comm buoy, and link us to the network. I want mission reports linked back to the Alliance before we even hit Eden Prime."_

"Yes, sir. You better watch out, Captain, I think Nihlus is headed your way."

There was a pause. _"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for debriefing. Anderson out."_

Shepard scowled. "You just pissed the Captain off, and now I have to pay for it. Stay on focus Joker." As she walked off, she had to fight to get her temper down. Joker was a good pilot, the best, but his quips were completely unprofessional.

The Captain and Nihlus were already talking when she reached the comm room, but they stopped to look at her when she entered. Anderson grinned at her, the old fool completely ignoring rank. "Jane, good to see you up and ready."

"Anderson. What's all this about?"

Nihlus stepped up at this one. "I'm interested in this world we are going to: Eden Prime? I've heard it quite beautiful."

Shepard shrugged. "I'm a marine, not some tourist."

"It's more than that, Shepard. Eden Prime is a perfect symbol of hope for your people, a little slice of heaven on the edge of your territory. Proof that humanity can establish themselves across the galaxy. How safe is it, though?"

Shepard growled, her stance tightening. "Are you threatening us?"

He ignored her. "Your people are still newcomers, and the galaxy is a dangerous place."

"I will ask you again:  _are you threatening us?_ "

"Nihlus enough. I think we should tell her what's really going on," Anderson remarked, stepping between the two. He knew Shepard, and those comments Nihlus was saying almost sent her over the edge.

"This mission is more than a shakedown run," Nihlus said, oblivious to Shepard's anger.

"No shit."

"Shepard!" Anderson gave her a sharp look. "We are making a covert pick up on Eden Prime."

"I don't like being kept in the dark, Captain."

"Need-to-know basis, Shepard. If I could have told you, I would have. A research team unearthed something, something they believe is a Prothean beacon."

Shepard frowned. "They vanished over 50,000 years ago."

"Their legacy remains," Nihlus spoke up, "in the mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives. All based off of Prothean technology and knowledge we have found."

"Yes. Shepard, this is big. The last time we found something like this on Mars, technology on Earth jumped foreword two hundred years. But Eden Prime can't handle something this big, so we are charged with brining it back to the Citadel for safety and to study."

"Obviously this goes beyond human interests. This involves all Citadel species."

Shepard fought to roll her eyes. "Why are you here, then? We don't need you for a simple pick-up-and-relocate."

"Unless something goes wrong."

Anderson waved his hand, forcing Shepard to look at him. "Nihlus isn't just here for that, Shepard. He is here to evaluate you."

"Like hell he is. What for?"

"Shepard, this goes beyond you and me. Humanity deserves a bigger peace in this galaxy. Spectre's represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance, how far humanity, has come."

"Me? As a Spectre?" Shepard sputtered.

"I saw the reports on Torfan. A grim decision, but it got the job done. That's why I put your name foreword as a candidate. I believe you are a good choice, Shepard, but I wish to see you before I make my final report."

Shepard frowned. "Why would a Turian want human as a Spectre?"

"I know you don't hate all species, Shepard, and Turian's are the same. Most of us feel humans are ready, including myself. I don't care if you are human, I care if you get the job done, which I know you can."

Shepard huffed, but he did have a point. She wasn't completely xenophobic ( _Batarians_ ), but a Spectre? "What do I have to do?"

"I need to see your skills for myself, Shepard, hence Eden prime."

Eden Prime, of course, had to go to hell.

"Geth! Why the fuck did it have to be Geth? Why couldn't it be fucking Krogan?!" She cursed, taking cover behind a rock while Geth shot at her. They had lost Jenkins, a rookie Corporal who had been on her squad, and the ground troops had been destroyed save a Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. Her biotics were utterly useless in this fight, so she had to rely on her marksman ship to get her through.

"Krogan, ma'am? Are you insane?" Ashley yelled from across the field, popping up to land another hit on a Geth.

"I like the Krogan! They're fun!" The last Geth fell with a mechanical groan, before falling silent. Taking one last look at her scanners, and listening, she called: "All clear!"

Ashley and Kaiden jogged up to her, looking a little haggard. "You like the Krogan?" Ashley asked.

"Hell yeah. They know how to have a party."

She could see Kaiden roll his eyes. "Ignore her. We swear she's part Krogan."

Shepard huffed. "Let's go. Nihlus, you read me?"

_"Loud and clear, Commander. I've run into some Geth, but no other problems otherwise. Have you located the beacon?"_

"No. It's been moved." The platform she was told held the beacon was empty, with no trace of where it had gone.

She heard Nihlus swear something that didn't translate.  _"Roger that. Keep an eye out. Nihlus out."_

“You heard the man…Turian. Let’s get the beacon.”

Despite the urgency, they moved low and slow, keeping their eyes and ears open for anything that wasn’t human. There wasn’t anything cresting a hill, but the smell of death and fire got stronger was they walked.

At the top of the hill, three metal work units had been set up. Now, two were demolished; one still on fire. Bodies and wreckage littered the ground, and more bodies were put upon spikes – the Geth were putting them on there, as she could recall just moments earlier while trying to save Ashley.

“I wonder what those things are for? It’s horrid,” Ashley whispered, shoulders shifting at the discomfort she was feeling.

It wasn’t hard to figure out, however. As soon as the trio came within a few feet of the spikes, they lowered, allowing the now moving corpses to attack them.

“Zombies!”

They were nasty things; skin grey, wiring coming out from all parts of them. Despite being dead, they moved fast, and took a good number of shots before going down. One got close enough to Kaiden, and zapped him with enough electricity to disable his shields.

“You alright?” Shepard asked him after one last perimeter walk.

“My ego is bruised, but I’m alright.”

“Good. I noticed the third unit was locked. Anyone up for some hacking?”

Hacking was not her forte, neither was it for the other two, but they managed to get the door open with little trouble.

“Humans! Thank the maker!”

Shepard swore, moving her finger off the trigger and swinging her gun away before her instincts kicked in. Two humans – one female, one male – huddled in the unit, both wearing civilian clothing. The woman eyed the weapons wearily, but the man was crouched on the floor, muttering to himself; he hadn’t even flinched when they walked in.

“Are you two alright?”

The woman nodded. “As alright as we can be. We grabbed what we could and ran to the shed as soon as we saw the ship land.  The marines tried to hold them off as long as they could, but they saved our lives. “

“No one is saved,” the man muttered, shifting to rock back and forth. “The age of humanity has ended. All ruins and bodies. No one is safe.”

The woman didn’t seem fazed by this, but it creeped Shepard out. “What the hell is he going on about?”

“Manuel is a genius, but he isn’t quite there. He takes medicine to help, but I think this has pushed him.”

The man – Manuel - was still muttering and rocking back and forth. “Where did the beacon go?” Ashley asked.

The woman shrugged. “I just know it was moved to the spaceport this morning, but I don’t know if anything happened to it after that.”

“Let’s hope it’s still there.” Shepard turned to move out, but then paused. “Did you happen to see a Turian wonder through here?”

Manuel’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “I saw him. The prophet. Leader of the army of darkness. He was here, before the attack!”

Shepard frowned. “That’s impossible. Nihlus has been with us until we landed here.”

“I’m sorry, Manuel still unsettled. We haven’t seen anyone since we hid in here.”

“Right. Do you have any idea what the beacon is?”

“Yes!” The woman’s eyes brightened. “It’s a data module! It could be the greatest discovery of our time!”

Manuel scoffed. “We have unearthed evil! Awakened the beast! Unleashed darkness!”

The woman winced. “Sorry. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin.”

“Is it madness to see the future?” Manuel cried. “To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad. I am the only sane one left!”

Shepard scowled. “Shut him up before I do.” Seeing the woman nod, she turned to Ashley. “Williams, take us to the spaceport.”

With one last look to the two survivors, they moved out. The spaceport wasn’t far, according to Ashley, just over the next hill. There still weren’t any signs of activity, and it was starting to bring the paranoia out in all of them.

A shot rang out, followed again by silence.  All three of them looked at each other, before looking up as an engine came to life. The ship was huge, easily the size of the Citadel. It crouches on four ‘arms’ before taking off, and she realizes it’s not just a ship, but also  _the_ ship she saw in the video before landing.

The echoing of engines brought out a handful of Geth and those zombies, forcing them to duck and cover before they got hit. The Geth were using the zombies as cannon fodder, sending as many as they could, hoping one could get close enough to take down their shields before striking with heavier weaponry. Her throw is effective to a point, but she gives up wasting her energy and used her biotics as a shield. By the time all the enemies are dead, they are all shaking with exhaustion.

“Any injuries?” Shepard asks.

“My biotics are tapped out, and I’m out of bars, but I’m good.”

Shepard nodded, digging into her back to grab an energy bar. “Here, you need this more than me. Williams?”

Ashley shook her head. “A few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.”

Shepard vaguely heard Ashley’s answer, but she is watching Kaiden, who is looking towards the spaceport. “Alenko?”

“Nihlus…”

His stunned response is accurate. The body lying on the ground was unmoving, the blood surrounding it confirming the death. The armour is familiar, as was the facial painting when they turn him around.

Nihlus was dead.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have a beta, so all errors are my own. Please feel free to point them out to me. If not, I'll probably end up catching them when I've had more sleep. Anyways, enjoy.

Shepard woke with a soundless scream, hands clawing at the things flashing before her eyes. Something grabbed her hands, and the visions snapped away in an instant, leaving her looking at the bright lights of Normandy's medbay.

"Shepard?" Chakwas. Good ol' Doctor Chakwas.

"Hey Doc," Shepard croaked out. Her throat was on fire and her head felt the same. What the hell happened?

"How are you feeling?"

Shepard swallowed. "Like I was run over with a Mako. What happened?"

She tried to sit up, but Chakwas gently pushed her back down. "What do you remember?"

"I remember finding Nihlus's body. Then some stupid idiot hiding behind some crates. He said something about a Turian named Saren, he's the one who shot Nihlus! Then there were some more Geth, some bombs, and we found the beacon, didn't we?"

"We did, Commander," Kaiden said, walking into her field of vision; she hadn't even known he was there. "Good to see you up."

"Should have just stayed asleep. What happened?"

"Well..." Kaiden shuffled and took a breath. "It was kind of humming, so I got a little closer. Well it snagged me, somehow. You saw what it did, and you pushed me out of the way. It picked you up, instead, and the next thing I know you were screaming. After a moment, the thing blew up and you fell. Ashley called the Normandy, and we got you out of there."

She scowled. "I expected better of you, Lieutenant. You compromised the whole mission."

"Don't be so hard on him, Jane. We don't know if he actually set it off."

"Lieutenant, you're dismissed." Shepard watched him salute and leave, waiting until the doors behind him closed before she turned back to Chakwas. "What's the damage?"

"Physically? Nothing. But your brain was going wild with unusual beta waves. It looked like you were dreaming, too, and that was confirmed when you woke up. Do you remember what it was about?"

Shepard shook her head. "Not really. I just remember these faces just, screaming at me. And it felt like everything was on fire. And there was this whispering. I don't know what it was saying."

"Odd. I'll have to add it to the report then."

There was a beep, and the doors switched open, revealing a concerned Anderson. "Jane! Are you alright?"

Shepard sat up quickly, moving to get up, but Chakwas pushed her back down again; Anderson also waving her off. "I'm fine, Captain. Just a massive headache."

"Good. I won't lie Shepard, but things look bad. Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed, and now the Geth are attacking planets after disappearing for two centuries. The Council wants answers, and I can't give it to them."

"The Council can kiss my ass. Who knows what would have happened if I didn't push Alenko out of the way and it was actually harmful? It was him, or the beacon."

"I know, Jane, and I back you one hundred percent. But that's not it. The other Turian? Saren? He's a Council Spectre too. But if he's working with the Geth, that means he's gone rogue. We just have to convince the Council of that. But we have to watch out, he hates human, and he might just use that against us?"

"Why, exactly, does he hate humans?"

"He thinks we are moving too fast in this galaxy, taking it over. But since he's allied himself with the Geth, he's planning something big, and the beacon has something to do with it. Did you see anything when the beacon took you?"

"I don't know. There was lots of screaming. And I could smell, too. Lots of blood. Like people were being slaughtered."

Anderson frowned. "We have to report this to the Council."

Shepard scoffed. "They won't believe me. They'll say it's the ramblings of a mad man."

"The only person who knows what in that beacon is you, Shepard. That has to be good enough. And with Saren, his allegiance with the Geth and the attack on a human world is an attempt at war. He also has the secrets of the beacon, and both could mean the destruction of the human race."

"Not if I can help it. I'll find some way to take him and the Geth down."

"Remember, Shepard. He's a Spectre. We need the Council on our side before we do anything. I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us audience with the Council. I had Joker point us there while you were out."

Shepard nodded. "Good. The sooner we see them, the sooner we can prove Saren is the bad guy and we can stop him."

* * *

 

It had been a long time since she had been on the Citadel, but it was the same as she remembered. It was bright and clean, prim and proper; reminding her a lot of the Asari. Her, Kaiden, and Ashley looked out of place in their military armour - even though they all cleaned it as soon as they could. The met the ambassador in his office, and they were barely in the door before they realised he was already yelling at the Council.

"This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the Geth attacked one of their colonies!"

The Salarian councillor spoke up first. "The Salarians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus system, and neither do the rest of the races."

The Asari councillor nodded. "Humans were well aware of the risk."

"What about Saren? You cannot ignore his betrayal! I demand action!"

The Turian councillor growled. "You do not get to make demands, ambassador. Citadel security is looking into it as we speak, and we will discuss the findings at the hearing, not before. Good day."

The ambassador growled and turned on Shepard. "You! You are causing so many problems. I am going into a meeting with little evidence of Saren's betrayal, and you expect me to win!?"

"Udina..." Anderson warned.

"Suck it up, ambassador. You have the reports of all three of us. Saren is a traitor, and I will hunt him down."

"Settle down, Commander. You've already done enough to jeopardize humanities chance to get on the Spectres. Instead of proving yourself, you got Nihlus dead and the beacon destroyed!" 

"That's Saren's fault, not hers," Anderson interrupted, stepping between the two before Shepard threw a punch.

"You better hope C-Sec finds the same thing. I need to talk to Anderson. I'll get you access to the top towers, but otherwise leave us."

Shepard scowled, wanting so much to punch the man in the face, but she saluted Anderson and led her party out of the office. "God, I hate that man."

Ashley nodded. "He was an ass."

Shepard sighed, running what she realised was a shaking hand through her hair. When she was done, she looked at it, realising it wasn't her hand that was shaking, but her pinkie. Frowning, she made a fist. "Right. Let's head up, hopefully they'll be close to being done by the time we get up there."

As they piled into the skycar, Shepard looked at her hand again. Her pinkie was still shaking.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologise to my loyal readers. While I am not 100% myself, I feel like I should keep this work going. I mean, come on, there isn't many F!Shep/Tali works out there. It's going to be a little rough, but I promise to finish. I've edited the previous chapters a bit, and I might change the title. Not quite sure yet. Also, if you see any errors, point them out for me, will you?

The chamber belonging to the Council was just as clean as the rest of the Citadel, although it’s lights were a lot dimmer than the rest of the place. As the trio walked up the stairs, they could hear two people arguing; two Turians arguing, they noticed when they reached the top.

“Saren’s hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them.” A Turian with blue armour and blue face markings was arguing with another Turian; this one dressed in formal wear of someone higher up.

“Stall the Council? Don’t be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus.”

Apparently that was the end of the argument, because the other Turian sighed before walking off. Garrus shook his head and turned to walked off, but when he turned, he found the trio.

“Commander Shepard?”

Shepard stepped forward away from the group, making herself known. “That’s me.”

“Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.”

A Turian investigating a Turian, and it sounded like he hated Saren just as must as she did, which she voiced. “Sounds like you hate him just as much as I do.”

“Yes. I don’t trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he is a Spectre, and everything he touches is classified. I was unable to find any evidence he was working with the Geth.”

Shepard swore. “I should have known he would do anything he could do make himself look all innocent.”

“I’m sorry Commander, I did the best I could.”

While she was angry, she was not angry with him. “Don’t worry about it, Officer Vakarian. You did what do could.”

Garrus tipped his head. “Thank you. Good luck. Maybe they will listen to you.”

She gave him a weak smile, before turning and motioning to the rest of her group to follow. She was furious, enough to make her body shake and make her want to growl at everyone in her way. But she refrained; she was a soldier, and soldiers must have a clear head.

Anderson was waiting for them at the stairs leading up to the Council. While he was standing still, she knew him long enough to know he was nervous. “Jane! Let’s go, they’ve already started without us.”

Shepard fought to roll her eyes; of course they did.

The Council was situated on a u-shaped platform along the back wall of windows, and Saren’s projected figure was to Shepard’s left. As Anderson had indicated, they had already started.

“The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way,” the Asari Councillor spoke.

The Turian Councillor nodded his head. “The investigation turned up no evidence to support the charge of treason you have brought forth.”

Udina, of course, was the one speaking for them – they were already going to fail because of him. “An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!”

“We have read the reports from Eden Prime. The testimony of one...traumatised dockworker is hardly compelling proof,” The Salarian Councillor spoke up.

Saren, who had been just standing there watching the proceedings, finally spoke up; “I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a friend. I am deeply saddened at his passing.” He paused for a minute, before looking beyond them. “Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me. And this must be your _protégé,_ Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed.”

Shepard scowled. “It was either he beacon or my crew-mates life! And how do you know about the Eden Prime mission? It was top secret.”

Saren waved her off. “With Nihlus gone, all his files passed to me. I read the reports, and I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a _human_?”

“And yet with your hatred towards humans, that gives you more than enough reason to attack Eden Prime; isn’t that right?”

“Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You are not ready to join the Spectres, let alone the Council!”

“He has no right to say that!” Udina spoke up. “That is not his decision!”

The Asari Councillor nodded in agreement. “Shepard’s admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting.”

Saren scoffed. “This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting our time with ridiculous claims.”

Shepard stepped up as close as she could. “You can’t hide behind the Council forever! I know you were on Eden Prime, and I will find proof!”

The Turian Councillor looked at her. “Do you have anything else you wish to add, Commander Shepard?”

“No, Councillor.”

After looking at each other, the Asari Councillor spoke. “The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied. This meeting is adjourned.”

* * *

 

Shepard sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Everything was a complete disaster. She had a headache; not just from the meeting, but from Udina screaming at her afterwords. 

“What now, Shepard?”

Shepard sighed. “I say we find this advisor to the Shadow Broker Anderson told us about.” Speaking of Anderson, she was going to have to talk to him as soon as she got the chance. He had told them so much about Saren and the Shadow Broker, but _after_ the meeting. Really, it was like he was purposely trying to give her an even bigger headache.

Finding the information broker supposedly tied to the Shadow Broker wasn’t too hard to find; Barla Von was exactly where Anderson said he would be. She must have zoned out, though, because she didn’t realise the broker was a Volus. Annoying little shits.

“What’s this? One of the Earth-clan? Oh! A very famous one, yes! You are the one called Shepard! The great butcher!”

Shepard winced. While she did not regret her actions on Torfan, she hated the reputed nickname that came with it. “Do not call me that.”

“Forgive me, Earth-clan. I meant no offence.”

She took a deep, meditating breath; there was no use for anger here. “I heard you work for the Shadow Broker. Do you have any information about Saren?”

“You are very blunt, Shepard. I like that. I am an agent for the Shadow Broker, and I do know something about Saren.”

“How much?”

“Normally, something like this would cost a small fortune, but under these circumstances, I am willing to give it to you for free.”

Shepard was thrown back, but she didn’t show it. “Free? Under these circumstances? Explain.”

“The Shadow Broker is quite...upset with Saren right now. They used to do a lot of business together, until Saren turned his back on him. Betrayed him. I don’t know the details, but the Shadow Broker hired a Krogan mercenary to deal with him. He should have more information.”

Shepard grinned and nearly danced on her feet. “Where is he?”

“Heard he was paying a visit to Citadel Security. Most likely is still there, unless they tried to throw him out.”

“Alright. Have a good day Mr. Barla Von. Pleasure doing business with you.”

Behind her on their way out, she heard Ashley whisper to Kaiden; “She’s excited because of the Krogan, isn’t she?”

“Yes. We are probably going to need a drink after this.”

“Why? Because it will end badly?”

“No, because they will get along and start a bloodbath, _on purpose._ ”


End file.
